Behind The Walls, Crime Hits As Hard

To escape the crime and congestion of Miami, Stuart Friedman moved his family to what he thought would be a safe and secure community in Cooper City.

But Friedman, like many others who live in neighborhoods surrounded by walls and security gates, has found that crime recognizes no boundaries.

Two weeks ago, Friedman and his wife, Darcy, were awakened about 2:30 a.m. to the sound of thieves smashing windows out of two cars in the driveway of their home in the Embassy Lakes development.

The thieves stole cellular phones and a radar detector and were gone before private security guards could take notice.

During the past month around Broward County, police have reported mini crime waves, including auto burglaries and home break-ins, in several walled communities that weren't able to wall out crime.

While the crime sprees are sporadic and the crime rate remains low in these communities, the thefts are frustrating and unnerving to people who thought that walled developments meant suburban tranquility.

"I moved my family to the so-called best area in southwest Broward and this happens," said Friedman, who lives in a four-bedroom home with his wife and two children. Three times, thieves have broken into his cars at Embassy Lakes. "We're almost to the point where we're ready to pack up and leave," he said.

But rather than leave, Friedman and others want to try to fight back.

"We're thinking of starting a crime watch group," he said. "We're going to get a group of people together to see what it's all about and what we can do."

For years, developments with walls and security gates have been sold as being safer. The idea is that criminals will avoid places that are difficult to enter. They don't want to encounter security guards or get hassled.

The illusion of safety can be shattered overnight in communities such as Embassy Lakes, where there were 17 car burglaries the night the Friedman's cars were hit.

"No one is immune, and anyone can become a victim," Cooper City Police Chief Steve Davis said.

"The criminal element has actually permeated every fiber of our society," said Jerry Kolo, associate professor of city planning at Florida Atlantic University. "Everyone thought, `Oh, this [gated community) is the solution to our crime problems.' We have found that it is not."

The burglary spree at Embassy Lakes was most likely a one-time occurrence, Davis said. "What we had was a concentrated, organized effort. They went there with the purpose of hitting cars. I think they roam around wherever they see opportunity," he said.

Reports seem to bear that out. Thieves are going for quick hits.

Sixteen cars were broken into and one stolen last week from Grand View at Emerald Hills, a Hollywood condominium surrounded by a four-foot wall. There is a special car windshield sticker for all residents and a security guard who must clear all visitors driving in.

"There's no way to keep the crime of the '90s away from you. They're going to get you, one way or another," said Mort Goldberg, a resident at Grand View.

"This area, when it was built, the builders were looking at the fact that it was a lovely condo setting in a safe, upper-middle-class area and it would be impervious to the world outside," Goldberg said. "But that was the '80s, and this building has joined everyone else in the '90s."

In Deerfield Beach this month, eight cars were broken into in the Deercreek Country Club development, which is partly walled. The Broward Sheriff's Office arrested six juveniles in that case.

Sgt. Bill Murray, commander of the Deerfield Beach district, said the incident was typical, in that one group of youths selects a specific area, hits it and leaves.

But, he added, such communities are usually safer than others because walls and guarded gates act as deterrents. "Generally speaking, those types of communities are less victimized," he said.

Developers of new communities are often including private security as part of the sales package.

"Business now is better than ever. We're getting new contracts every day," said Oscar Weinberg, president of International Security Corp. in Miami, which installs custom security systems.

Weinberg thinks gates and guardhouses prevent crime.

"People who drive by will stop and see it and won't go in. It's more of a deterrent," he said. "But if someone wants to get in that community, they will. They will jump the wall."

Oscar Newman, an architect and urban planner who has written about crime prevention through neighborhood design, said gated communities with good security are safer than their ungated counterparts.

But Newman dislikes gated communities because he thinks people wall themselves off from their surrounding cities. He prefers ungated neighborhoods with cul de sacs, so that children feel safe playing in the streets. That leads parents to watch the children, and therefore the comings and goings of strangers.